Dean for Undergraduate Education Dennis Freeman has announced that Dean of Admissions Stuart Schmill has also been named dean of student financial services. Schmill, who has served as interim executive director of MIT Student Financial Services (SFS) since September 1, 2015, will now lead both offices. Schmill’s new title is dean of admissions and student financial services.
“I am delighted that Stu has agreed to continue to oversee student financial services,” Freeman said. “Stu has served MIT in several capacities over the years, and he has a deep and abiding respect for the Institute that informs everything he does.”
“Stu’s vision and creativity have steadily enhanced the admissions process at MIT, both for staff and for prospective students and their families. For many college applicants, at MIT or elsewhere, the admissions process can seem shrouded in mystery and impersonal. Stu and his staff have thought long and hard about how to address that problem, with great success. I am confident that Stu’s leadership qualities will be a wonderful addition to SFS.”
“It’s been a real honor and pleasure for me to work with the wonderful staff in student financial services this year,” Schmill said. “I am very excited about having the chance to continue in this capacity.”
In a statement about the appointment, Freeman noted that Schmill has already made an impact as interim executive director of SFS. “This year, under Stu’s leadership, we’ve seen significantly increased aid for families across the economic spectrum.” In the 2016-17 year, the Institute’s undergraduate financial aid budget will increase 10.4 percent to $114.2 million. The increase will result in more generous MIT scholarships for nearly all students who receive financial aid.
Combined leadership under Schmill will allow for more synergy between MIT Admissions and SFS, Freeman said in the statement, allowing for “greater collaboration between the two offices and, ultimately, better service to our students and their families.”
“By working more closely together, we can help make an even more seamless and informed experience for students,” Schmill said, “from the time they begin to think about MIT as a possible place to attend college to the time they graduate with their MIT degree.”
Schmill has worked at the Institute for 29 years. Prior to his appointment as dean of admissions in 2008, he held several leadership roles, including senior associate director of admissions, director of the Educational Council, director of Parent, Student, and Young Alumni Programs in the Alumni Association, and head coach and director of MIT Crew. A native of Little Neck, New York, Schmill received his mechanical engineering SB at MIT in 1986.
